7 Success Factors For Your 3D Print Business

By on September 25th, 2013 in Ideas

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We recently listed three types of 3D print businesses you probably shouldn’t try to launch, but we thought we’d list some factors that we believe could make your 3D print business venture a lot more successful. 
 
Uniqueness. You can’t do the same thing as other companies; you must offer something different and unique to attract customers. An unusual and useful technical feature could be very important. Your product should be recognizable simply by its uniqueness. If you’re product is not unique, it must be substantially better than the competition.
 
Completeness. From the point of view of your customer, you should at least provide the basics: product, service and support. While your launch might appear to be successful, it could quickly turn bad if you aren’t supporting the product and providing things customers need. Make sure all essential customer needs are covered. 
 
Slick. Would you choose a product that appeared shoddy and ad-hoc over a professional-appearing item? Most people would not. Make sure your product at least appears to be made by people who know what they’re doing. Spend time on visual design, be it on your product or your website. 
 
Appeal A Problem. People purchase things because they feel they fill a need or solve a problem. Find the issues and solve them with your service. If you don’t, why would anyone need your product? 
 
Hipness. This can be difficult, but you must establish a solid, hip brand with your product. It can be achieved with a creative combination of look and feel, style, verbiage, social media and name. You’ll need to spend considerable thought and time to get this right. 
 
Accessible. It’s a big world out there. Our stats show that more than 50% of 3D print activity today seems to be outside the USA.  If you’re not addressing the global market, you’re missing out on most of your potential customers. 
 
Low Cost. Cash is always king. If you meet the other factors, having an unexpectedly low price can quickly cause a prospect to become a buyer. 
 
If you have a great product and at least several of the above, you’re probably in good shape. 

By Kerry Stevenson

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!